Work Text:
The office in the Van Eck mansion had many large windows, with views to the estate’s garden and the rest of Ketterdam. They hadn’t gotten much use while Jan Van Eck had been the head of the house, frequently covered by the thick velvet curtains so that Van Eck could show off the new and impressive electric lighting that had recently been installed in the house.
When Wylan Van Eck returned to the mansion and assumed control of the family’s merchant empire, the velvet curtains in the office were removed and replaced with lighter ones made of linen. The carpet was pulled back to reveal the hardwood floors underneath, and the chairs were reupholstered in a lighter color. Antiques and decorative books were replaced with plants and small, colorful knick-knacks from travels and friends alike. Dark paintings of austere Van Eck ancestors were delegated to other rooms of the house, and colorful paintings of still lifes and landscapes that Marya had painted filled their places on the walls.
Slowly, as they all settled into the house, the shadow of Jan Van Eck faded, and the rooms were once again filled with love and laughter.
Wylan was quite fond of the office now. It was much brighter, not only with the renovations and the fact that they almost never drew the curtains, but the horrible memories that he had there were drowned out by the many, many happy ones that he had made with Jesper there.
Today was no exception.
It was early in the evening and the shadows were getting long, the light from the sun casting a soft, warm glow about the room as it streamed in through the windows. It was quiet for the time being, the only sound being the scratching of Wylan’s pencil as he worked through a section of the budget for an upcoming trading voyage. He was starting to become tired of having to constantly push his reading glasses back into place, and there would most likely be someone coming up soon to remind them about dinner.
When Wylan looked up from his work to tell Jesper that he was ready to be done, however, he realized that Jesper had fallen asleep.
Jesper usually sat in an armchair next to the big desk in the office so that he could be handed things to be read aloud. He was sitting there now, but instead of lounging back in the chair, he had folded his arms under his head and was slumped over the desk. His face was turned towards Wylan, clear that he had been watching him before he had dozed off.
Wylan had heard his mother call the time right before sunset the golden hour. He knew that the name referred to the color of the sunlight at the time, but right now he just couldn’t ignore the way Jesper’s skin seemed to glow with the light shining on him. It always seemed to be that way when Jesper was lit by the sunlight, but it was especially evident now.
Setting his pencil down and pushing his glasses up onto his head, Wylan folded his arms and leaned over the desk, resting his chin on them to fondly watch Jesper sleep.
He didn't blame Jesper for being tired. They'd had to go to a fundraiser dinner the night before, dancing and eating and socializing until the early hours of the morning, and had to get up after only a few hours of sleep for a business meeting. If they were younger and still used to the unpredictable hours of the Barrel, Jesper would probably still be awake and chattering away. But that was before they had gotten used to the secure way of life in the mansion, before they could sleep soundly at night without having to worry about their safety. Now they no longer had the stamina of their teens and went to bed at reasonable hours, so Jesper having fallen asleep at the desk was nothing surprising, really.
Slowly, Wylan reached over to drag the backs of his fingers along Jesper’s cheekbone. Jesper was always so still when he was asleep, a stark contrast to his constant movement when he was awake. It had been almost unnerving when Wylan had first seen it, but after years of being with Jesper it was a familiar sight.
Moving his hand up, Wylan smiled softly as he ran his fingers over Jesper’s hair. There were little tufts of hair that were starting to grow out on the back of his neck that Wylan could feel under his fingertips, soft in a different way to Wylan’s own curls. It would be a bit before Jesper needed a haircut, though, so Wylan would enjoy the feeling while he could.
It was then that Jesper started to stir, a soft inhale signaling that he had awoken. “Did I fall asleep?” he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes.
“You did,” Wylan answered just as quietly, smiling as he watched Jesper. “The good news is that I think that I’m done for the day.”
Jesper lifted a hand and grabbed ahold of Wylan’s that was still in his hair, bringing it down to press a kiss to Wylan’s knuckles. The sunlight glinted off of his gold wedding band engraved with jurda blossoms as he did so, and Wylan couldn’t help but smile even more. Even though it wasn’t a particularly new development, it still made Wylan happy when little things like that reminded him that they were married.
Squeezing Jesper’s hand, Wylan sat up a little and moved his head around to stretch his neck, given that he had been hunched over his work for so long. “Do you want to head down to dinner now?” he asked Jesper. “There’s lemon bars for dessert, I think. I know those are your favorite.”
“They are,” Jesper smiled. “Let’s go, then. I’m pretty hungry, anyways. Sleeping is heavy work.”
Wylan laughed and stood, tugging Jesper up to stand. He in turn was pulled against Jesper’s side, with his husband’s arms wrapping around his shoulders and pulling him close. That only made him smile more, looping his arms around Jesper’s waist and tucking himself close as they walked out of the office and down the hall.
Dinner was filled with warmth and laughter, as it most often was those days. Wylan ended up eating so much of the beef stew that he ended up only eating half of his lemon bar; the other half he gave to Jesper, who happily finished it after eating his own.
Then, after they had finished eating and the plates were cleared from the table, they retreated to the drawing room, where there was freshly made tea waiting for them. Wylan had sat with his head in Jesper’s lap, listening to the novel being read aloud until the soft touch of a hand through his hair woke him from a doze he hadn’t realized he’d fallen into. Jesper had smiled down at him, something that made Wylan feel immeasurably fond in that moment.
Their steps down the hall and up the stairs to their bedroom were sleep-slowed and stumbling, carrying them past servants doing the last chores of the night as they wished them good night. Wylan was the first through their bedroom door, fumbling with the buttons of his waistcoat until he could shuck it off with a sigh. Jesper laughed at him, so he half-heartedly threw his tie at his husband in retaliation.
By the time Wylan turned out the light and slid into bed next to Jesper, the sound of eleven bells was ringing in the distance. Most of the city was probably already asleep, with the exception of those working in and flocking to the Barrel. Wylan briefly wondered if any of their friends were asleep yet. Definitely not Kaz, Inej might have been, and Nina… Nina he wasn’t sure about.
Jesper leaned over to kiss him, surprising Wylan out of his thoughts. He sank into it, kissing back for as long as he could before he needed to breathe again.
“What was that for?” Wylan asked amusedly, opening his eyes to look up at Jesper.
Jesper just hummed, pressing another lingering kiss to Wylan’s forehead. “I’m just really happy that I married you,” he murmured, bringing a hand up to cup Wylan’s cheek. “And that you wanted it too.”
Wylan smiled softly at that, leaning into Jesper’s hand. “How could I not have? You mean so much to me, Jes. I can’t think of a life without you now.” He shuffled closer, tucking himself against Jesper’s side. “I’ve never wanted to marry anyone more.”
He could feel Jesper smiling against his skin as he snuggled closer, arms wrapping around Wylan’s middle to hold him close. “I love you,” Jesper whispered, his breath ruffling Wylan’s hair.
“Love you too, Jes,” Wylan murmured back, closing his eyes then and letting his drowsiness start to tug him down to sleep.
They fell asleep like that, wrapped up in each other and looking forward to another day of being together in life.